In the course of
history, decisions are made within many towns that affect the future. A true
statement in most cases, a few times, though, what looked to be a good thing
didn’t turn out that way.
In the early
1870s there was excitement building within many communities; two railroads were
getting ready to lay track and help with local growth with new markets for
crops and new items coming into the area.
The directors of
the newly formed Pennsylvania and Sodus Bay Railroad company sold shares in the
company to many of the communities along the proposed rail line.
Morrison notes
that of the $700,000 contract given to Col. William Johnson to “put the road in
running order,” $500,000 was in town bonds. [Morrison, page 32]
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| Stock Certificate for 500 shares at $100 each. Interlaken Historical Society photo collection item #444 |
The Town of
Covert Town Board, as represented by John B. Avery, Minor T. Coburn and J. D.
Wintersteen, commissioners, purchased 500 shares at one hundred dollars per
share.
The Town of
Covert Minute book for that time period does not have the motions and
resolutions that we often look for today. What I did find was a notation in
following years that the interest, $3,500 was duly paid.
The PA&SB
railroad acquired rights to land, created grades, crossings and sidings
throughout the towns along the route. Then the unfortunate happened, the
economy went sour, and no Pennsylvania and Sodus Bay Railroad was built. In the
end, the towns involved had a half-million in debt to be paid, plus the
crossings, grades and in some cases timbers were left where they had been
deposited.
Over the years
many of those land marks have disappeared from the landscape. In a few cases
the evidence is still visible. When the Interlaken Historical Society was
preparing for its Trains in the Village event two years ago, I was shown
several locations where the railroad line was still visible.
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| Looking through one of the creek bridges, the creek itself diverted around the bridge. Author's personal collection |
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| A small creek crossing on the railline Author's personal collection |
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| Looking south along the rail bed. Author's personal collection. |
If you attended
a carnival on the Interlaken Firemen’s field, or in recent years the car show,
the gently rolling field near the west end was created that way to allow for
the railroad sidings.
It took until
1926 to retire the debt from 1871. [Patterson, page 71].
Dewitt’s Diary
Monday, August 2, 1971
Temperature 70
cloudy. Picked 7 quarts raspberries.
Put some
fertilizer on some late cabbage.
Le went over
summer fallowed ground.
A little shower
late this afternoon.
A few sprinkles
but very warm this afternoon.
Saw the men on
the moon on TV and then they took off for home at 1:11. They join the man going
around the moon and then head for a landing in the pacific ocean Saturday.
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